Copyright

Having been the target of copyright thieves, and working with writers, authors, and photographers on copyright protection and laws for over 25 years, I thought I’d talk a little about what to do when someone steals your content.

First, you noticed that I didn’t say “if” someone steals your content. That was on purpose. With the glut of information on the Internet, it’s now a matter of “when” not “if”.

The first step in learning about what you can do when someone steals your content is to know that it will happen, so the more prepared and informed you are, the better your chances of prevention and having a plan in place when they steal.

There are many reasons people take and use content that isn’t their own. The two most common reasons are “I didn’t know any better” and laziness.

The “didn’t know any better” excuse doesn’t work with me. If you went to school in the last few hundred years, you would have learned from elementary school on that copying someone else’s work is not just bad, it can get you punished by being kicked out of school, lose your degree, or even your job.

The Internet is no different than the real world.

Learn how to link and quote from published material to stay safe and on the right side of International Copyright Laws.Continue reading →

Lorelle VanFossen is a trainer and educator on web publishing, blogging, social media, user experience (UX), podcasting, multimedia, and WordPress. This is her educational blog featuring tutorials, instructions, guides, resources, and references (and homework) for students and workshop participants.

About Lorelle Teaches

Lorelle VanFossen is a trainer and educator on web publishing, blogging, social media, user experience (UX), podcasting, multimedia, and WordPress. This is her educational blog featuring tutorials, instructions, guides, resources, and references (and homework) for students and workshop participants.